Firescreen panel or the like



J R BOWN FIRESCREEN PANEL OR THE LIKE F11 a n y 19 1958 FIG.|

INVENTOR.

JAMES RALPH sow/v BY *2 WW HIS Avon/v5) Nov. 17, 1959 ml if... A

United States Patent FIRESCREEN PANEL OR THE LIKE James Ralph Bown, Bountiful, Utah Application May 19, 1958, Serial No. 736,136

4 Claims. (Cl. 160-348) This invention relates to fireplace screens, and more particularly to new and improved wire mesh panels therefor.

In the past, fireplace screens and wire mesh panels therefor have been developed in great profusion. Those individuals using fireplace screens in their homes generally desire a type of screen which possesses a degree of fulness when the screen panels are closed, i.e. drawn over the frame interior of the screen. A fireplace'screen exhibiting such fulness has a much more pleasing appearance than does a screen without such fulness. However, in the case of conventional screens, panel fulness may be distributed in a non-uniform and unsightly man ner over the screens frame when the panels are drawn either very rapidly or very slowly. Furthermore, and most important, the panels may tend to sag in their upper regions inbetween the several panel suspension points, which condition in some cases would not give the desired protection.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved fireplace screen panels.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide new and improved wire mesh panels for fireplace screens, which panels exhibit uniformly distributed fulness and insure the desired operation and functioning thereof in avoiding areas of sagging between panel suspension points.

According to the present invention, the wire mesh panels of a fireplace screen each comprise a multiplicity of loosely interwoven wires of vertical orientation. The mesh may be of the chain-link type; or, it may be composed of a series of wire strands each shaped, for example, in the form of a helix or elongated spiral. In any event, the panels will be horizontally deformable by virtue of the above-mentioned construction. The novel feature in the wire' mesh panel construction exists in the fact that the panels are pleated at desired points along the upper periphery thereof. Such pleating is accomplished either by (a) joining the upper ends of separated wire strands, (b) joining separated wire strands by a supplementary wire, or (c) joining remote, upper end loops of separated wire strands by means of ring mounts, generally already needed for mounting the panels to the conventional fireplace screen slide rods.

Whichever method or means of gathering or pleating is employed, it will be observed that the pleating need only be performed along the top of the panels since, by virtue of the horizontally deformable mesh construction the pleats or folds will hang to the bottom of the panels.

With the pleats inserted in the panels as above described, the upper horizontal dimension of each panel is made to equal the width of the fireplace screen frame area which the respective panel is intended to cover. In this way, the fulness of the panels will exist when the panels are closed; and no slack or sagging will persist in the upper portions of the panels so as to affect deleteriously the screens protective function.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization. and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation view of a fireplace screen employing two firescreen panels which incorporate the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of an upper portion of one of the wire mesh firescreen panels shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 illustrates, in particular, one method and means of joining remotepointsv along the upper periphery of the firescreen panel so as to form a gathering or pleat of screen mesh therebetween.

Figures 3 and 4 are similar to Figure 2, but illustrate alternate ways in which remote points along the upper periphery of the screen panel may be joined, or at least proximately disposed, so as to constitute the aforementioned pleats in the firescreen panels.

In Figure 1, two wire mesh, fireplace screen panels 10 are provided with mounting rings 11, for example, which rings slide along traverse rod 12, the latter being mounted either in a fireplace screen frame or within a fireplace proper. In either event, an angle iron or strip 13 will generally be disposed in front of the traverse rod, as

shown, for purposes of appearance. The present invention, it will be recalled, is devoted solely to the construction of pleated firescreen panels of wire mesh construction for fireplace screens in general, and is not concerned with the type of mounting, frame or apparatus which employs such panels. Hence, Figure 1 illustrates but one context of use of the novel panels.

The inner edges of the two firescreen panels may comprise metal channel strips 15, as shown.

It will, be observed with reference to Figurel that the fireplace screen panels 10 exhibit regularlydisposed gatherings of mesh material or pleats 14, which pleats are vertically oriented. The pleats 14 are designed to be fixed or permanent in the wire mesh material; further, the Width of each of the panels, when fully drawn, is made to equal, substantially, the width of the frame area desired to be covered thereby.

With such fixed pleats, the screen panels will exhibit a desired degree of regular fulness when the panels are extended over the respective opening; in addition, this regular fulness will not be disturbed thoughthe screen is rapidly extended or withdrawn, either wholly or partially. Furthermore, there will exist, by virtue of the pleated screen construction, no sagging of mesh material between points of suspension of the panels.

Figure 2, as above explained, is a fragmentary view of an upper portion of a representative firescreen panel 10.

The upper periphery of the panel 10 in Figure 2 is represented by horizontal phantom line 200. Basically, the panel 10 consists of a multiplicity of loosely interwoven wires 201 and 202. All of the wires shown in Figure 2 are each helix configured. Of course it will be understood that, rather than having helix or circular spiral configured wires, the present invention might equally employ flat or elongate spiraled wires or wires intermeshed in chain-link fashion. At all events, the present invention contemplates the employment of loosely interwoven wires to form a panel which is horizontally deformable. In the representative panel being horizontally deformable, a pleat which is formed along the upper periphery 200 of the panel will persist vertically in the material clear to the bottom periphery thereof.

In Figure 2, each of the wires 201 and 202 is shown to have a looped end portion 203 and 204, respectively, which end portions are intercoupled or looped together. The end portion 203 of a particular wire 201 may be straightened, as shown at A and subsequently, following the path of phantom line 205, may be inserted through the looped end portion 204 of a remote or non-successive wire 202, with the straightened end portion of wire 201 being bent or relooped for purposes of retention.

It will, of course, be understood that in order to accomplish the above operation, the loosely interwoven mesh of panel material will have to be gathered between the respective remote wires; further, this gathering will persist after the operation is completed. Such a gathering of material may properly be referred to as a pleat. The above-described operation may be repeated by successive pairs of remote wires so as to constitute aplurality of regularly-spaced pleats in the respective panel.

In Figure 3, all of the pairs of looped end portions 203 and 204 remain intact and pleating operating is accom plished for respective pleats by the inclusion of a respective, supplementary wire 300, which Wire is looped through the looped end portion of remote wires in the wire mesh panel. Generally, a separate supplementary wire 300 will be employed for each pleat to be formed.

Figure 4 illustrates a second manner of hooking together the looped end portions of remote wires of the firescreen panel. The forming of each pleat is accomplished by the coupling together of remote, looped end portions by a respective ring 400. Each of the rings 400 may be split, so as to facilitate the insertion of the remote, looped end portions, or the looped end portions themselves may be preliminarily straightened and then looped around the respective ring. In the case of conventional firescreen construction, mounting rings (see rings 11 in Figure l) for the two panels of wire mesh are ordinarily required for mounting the panels to their respective slide rods. These very rings which are required for mounting may themselves be employed to secure the several pleats in the wire mesh panel material.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A pleated firescreen panel including, in combina- 4 tion, a plurality of vertically disposed wires loosely interwoven to constitute a horizontally deformable wire mesh, at least one of said wires being fixedly retained in proximity with a non-successive wire so as to produce a vertical gathering of mesh material therebetween, each of said plurality of wires being provided with loop configured end portions, the loop configured end portions of adjacent, paired wires loosely engaging each other, excepting the looped configured end portions of said one Wire and the wire adjacent thereto, with which it would normally be paired, where said one wire directly connects to said non-successive wire for producing said gathering.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the upper end of said one wire passes through said loop configured end portion of said adjacent, paired wire and is affixed to the upper end of said non-successive wire by looping therethrough, thereby retaining the two wires in mutual proximity.

3. A pleated firescreen panel including in combination, a plurality of vertically disposed wires loosely interwoven to constitute a horizontally deformable wire mesh, selected ones of said wires being fixedly retained in proximity with respective, non-successive wires so as to produce respective vertical gatherings of mesh material therebetween, each of said plurality of wires being provided with loop con-figured end portions, the loop configured end portions of adjacent, paired wires loosely engaging each other, excepting the looped configured end portions of said selected ones of said wires and the wires adjacent thereto, with which they would normally be paired, where said selected ones directly connect to said non-successive wires for producing said gatherings.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the upper end of each of said selected ones of said wires passed through said loop configured end portion of a respective one of said adjacent, paired wires and is afiixed to the upper end of a respective one of said non-successive wires by looping therethrough, thereby retaining respective wires in mutual proximity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,080,708 Haines May 18, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS I 514,258 Great Britain Nov. 3, 1939 

